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Former McAuley star athlete establishes $125,000 endowment at school

In this March 2002 file photo, McAuley's Sarah Marshall (top) collides with Cony's Karen Sirois in the first half of the Class A state final at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland.

Posted April 30, 2014, at 2:45 p.m.

Former Catherine McAuley of Portland basketball star Sarah Marshall Ryan and her husband, NFL quarterback Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons, have established a $125,000 endowment at the school to provide scholarship assistance.

The first scholarship, a $5,000 gift, will be awarded to an incoming freshman for the 2014-15 academic year and will be based on financial need, commitment to academic excellence, involvement in the school community and beyond, and participation in McAuley’s athletic program, according to a press release.

The student selected for this award will be mentored personally by Marshall Ryan.

“My years spent at McAuley were some of the best years of my life,” she said. “Matt has heard many a story from my high school days and knows how much McAuley and the wonderful people there mean to me. This is why it brings us great happiness to do this for deserving young women.”

Marshall Ryan, a 2003 McAuley graduate, was a three-sport athlete at the school but starred most prominently in basketball, in which she led the Lions to back-to-back Class A state championships in 2002 and 2003. She was named the Gatorade Maine Girls Basketball Player of the Year as both a junior and senior, and she was the Western A tournament MVP in each of her final three seasons.

She also was a three-time Bangor Daily News All-Maine selection, earning first-team recognition in 2002 and 2003.

Marshall Ryan continued her basketball career at Boston College, where she was a three-year starter at point guard. She helped guide the Eagles to two appearances in the NCAA Division I Sweet Sixteen.

The three-time Big East Conference academic all-star graduated with a degree in communications.